Kano , Nigeria -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Boko Haram insurgents killed 35 people in coordinated early morning raids on three villages in Nigeria 's northeastern state of Borno , a military source and residents said , the latest deadly attacks by the militant group .

Dozens of Boko Haram gunmen dressed in military uniforms raided Gumushi , Amuda and Arbokko Wednesday in all-terrain vans and on motorcycles , opening fire on residents and torching homes with Molotov cocktails .

At least 26 people were killed in Gumushi alone , a military officer in Maiduguri said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the incidents .

`` The insurgents hurled petrol bombs into homes , setting them ablaze and shot residents as they tried to escape , '' said the army officer about the 6 a.m. raid .

Attacks on the neighboring farm villages of Amuda and Arbokko earlier , around 2 a.m. , left nine people dead and several homes destroyed .

Arbokko resident Josiah Ali said people were asleep when Boko Haram struck .

`` The gunmen fired at people as they rushed out of their homes in a bid to escape , '' Ali said .

Thirteen people were seriously injured in the attack in Amuda , resident Pirda Takweshe said .

Borno state police commissioner Lawan Tanko confirmed the attacks , but did not give details on casualties .

Monday , Boko Haram stormed a military base and a police station in Yobe state , also in the northeast , security sources said . The attacks in the town of Buni Yadi left 18 soldiers and 15 police officers dead , the sources said .

The group has stepped up its deadly raids on villages in Borno state in recent months .

Boko Haram , which means `` western education is a sin , '' is still holding more than 200 girls it abducted last month from a school in Chibok , also in Borno state .

The militant group says its aim is to impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Nigeria , Africa 's most populous nation , which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south .

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35 killed in latest Boko Haram attacks on villages in northeast Nigeria

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Militants threw Molotov cocktails at homes and shot residents who tried to escape

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The group still holds more than 200 schoolgirls it abducted in April